Rise of Dragons
by Naomi Shihoin
Summary: What if Ash started out with a different Pokémon than Pikachu and his dream was to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master specializing in a single type of Pokémon? Ash x Clair pairing.


**Rise of Dragons**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the rights to Pokémon or any of the characters used in this publication.

**A/N**: This story was written in response to MathiasNightlord01's challenge "Ash's Different Starter Challenge". See the information on his profile for more details.

I will also being using Gen 6 Pokémon and Gen 6 Pokédex entries in this fic.

**Requirements for the challenge are**:

**1**. Ash is smarter and more knowledgeable about the Pokémon world and Pokémon training before setting out on his journey.

**2**. Ash must be male. No genderbending or yaoi themes allowed.

**3**. Since Ash is smarter in the story, his Pokémon won't disobey his orders like Charizard did in canon.

**4**. Ash must age and grow in this story.

**5**. The clothes he wears to Unova are banned (because I don't like his Unova appearance).

**6**. Capture more Pokémon than he does in canon and rotates them out to train all of them.

**7**. Capture a least few shiny Pokémon in the type he specializes in.

**8**. Capture at least some of the Legendary Pokémon he encounters in the movies and anime series in the type he specializes in.

**9**. Shiny Pokémon are about 5 times stronger than normal Pokémon of their species.

**10**. All Pokémon must NOT be limited to 4 four moves, but can learn any amount of moves that they are able to learn from their movesets from both the games and anime and retain those moves after learning them. Under no circumstances are the Pokémon's moves to be limited, be it League rules or Gym battles. I've seen it done before and it just makes the battles boring and repetitive. They are to have full access to moves they learn in ALL battles.

**11**. All moves MUST come from the games, the anime or the movies. Moves from the Pokémon TCG (Trading Card Game) are not allowed.

**12**. All Pokémon myths and legends must be consistent with that of the anime and movies.

**13**. Ash must have more of his Pokémon fully evolve.

**Ages of characters in first book**:

Ash: 13. Clair: 14.

...

**Chapter 1: I Don't Choose You!**

"Professor, are you _sure_ you don't have another Pokémon?"

Ash was in distress. He woke up late this morning because he somehow broke his alarm clock in the middle of the night. Forgoing getting dressed, he had quickly thrown on his tennis shoes and flew out the door and down the path towards Professor Oak's lab. When he got there, it was with a heavy heart that he found out that every starter Pokémon was gone. Even the Charmander he desperately wanted.

Ever since he was young, Ash had wanted to become a trainer of Dragon Pokémon after he witnessed the Champion Lance's battles on television. The power and majestic presence that Dragon types exuded was what drew him to those Pokémon. Lance had also become his idol and it was his dream of taking him on one day in an all out Dragon battle. That's why he had studied up on Pokémon, especially Dragons or Pokémon that looked similar to Dragons, during his early childhood years.

He knew that the closest Pokémon to a Dragon type as a starter was Charmander, but now that he had missed it because of a freak accident, all he wanted was a Pokémon, _any_ Pokémon, at this point. He could probably obtain a Charmander at a later date.

Ash was trying not to cry as Professor Oak looked at him while rubbing his chin in thought. "Well," he started, "I _do_ happen to have two Pokémon who need a new trainer, though I am not sure if you will be able to-"

"I'll take them!" Ash interrupted. "Please professor, I really want a Pokémon!"

Professor Oak just sighed and told the desperate young man to wait where he was while he fetched the Pokémon for him. Ash rocked on the balls of his feet in excitement. _I wonder what Pokémon they are_, he thought to himself as he waited on the Pokémon professor to return.

A couple of minutes later and Professor Oak returned, holding two Poké Balls in his hand. "Well, here you are Ash," he said, holding out the Poké Balls toward the young man.

Ash took the spheres out of the older man's hand and gave an excited "thank you". He stood staring at the Poké Balls, lost in his own world. Professor Oak looked at the newbie trainer with amusement on his wrinkling face.

"Are you gonna open them, Ash, or would you prefer to place them on a shelf for decoration?" He chuckled as Ash snapped out of his daydream and grinned sheepishly at his behaviour. Holding out the Poké Balls in front of him, he called out the Pokémon from within the capture devices. In a bright flash of light, the Pokémon appeared in between the rookie trainer and the professor.

Ash nearly fell backwards when he saw a bipedal, blue, reptilian Pokémon vaguely resembling a Pachycephalosaurus and an orange, insectoid Pokémon, with a white underside and four stumpy legs staring up at him.

"Trap," the insectoid creature cried out, tilting its large head as it studied the young human looking down at it.

"Bagon, ba," the other grumbled.

"Um... Professor? What are these?" Ash asked the professor as he continued to gaze at the odd Pokémon.

Professor Oak put his hands behind his back. "Why, they're called Trapinch and Bagon, dear boy. Trapinch is a Ground type Pokémon and Bagon is a Dragon type. They're found in the Hoenn region."

Ash looked up at the professor when he heard this. "Hoenn?"

"It's a tropical island region south of the Sevii Islands. Several Dragon species make their home there due to the warm climate. Trapinch are no exception, though they usually prefer to live in the desert," Professor Oak explained.

Ash simply blinked when he heard this. "It certainly doesn't look like a Dragon type," the young trainer stated, looking at the insectoid Pokémon now gazing around the lab. "How did you get a hold of these Pokémon, anyway?"

The professor leaned up against a counter and smiled. "I'll let you figure out what he evolves into. I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised. As to how I got them? My friend and colleague from Hoenn, Professor Birch, sent them to me. Apparently their previous trainer gave up on training them and abandoned the poor things at his lab. Professor Birch then sent them to me so that I could study them for research. I felt, however, that it was time to give them to a new trainer willing to train and bond with them. I've caught them both staring longingly at Pokémon battles on the television when I had them out for study."

"Wait. 'He'?" Ash dumbly said.

"Yes, that was also part of my research with them. Pokémon have a male and female gender. How they have hidden it from us for so long I will never know. I discovered it quite by accident really." He seemed quite proud of himself for this, Ash noted. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, walking over to a table and picking up a few items. He strode back over to Ash and handed him five empty Poké Balls and a Pokédex.

"This National Pokédex will allow you to record information on Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos. I figured since you have a Hoenn Pokémon that this would be prudent. And who knows, you may even run into some Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos Pokémon here!"

Ash accepted the items from the professor and put them in his pockets for the time being. Walking over to the Trapinch and Bagon, he picked them up, struggling a bit with their weight and held the two against his chest.

"Well, looks like we're going to be partners from here on out, eh?" Ash told the Pokémon, as Trapinch snuggled up against him, while Bagon didn't move.

"Trap," Trapinch cried in happiness.

"_Bagon_." Clearly, the blue Dragon type still wasn't happy.

Ash stared at them and turned to go out the front door after saying goodbye to Professor Oak. He was about to open the door when the professor addressed him. "By the way Ash, I do hope you don't plan on starting your journey in your pajamas," Oak said, highly amused.

Ash looked down at his green pajamas and blushed before flinging himself out the door, trying to ignore the chuckling coming from behind him.

...

Sometime later in the early afternoon, Ash was walking up the Route 1 path, fully dressed and ready for travelling this time. His first Pokémon, Trapinch and Bagon, were fast asleep in his backpack. They had at first tried to take up residence on top of their new trainer's head, but Ash's neck nearly broke from the weight of the Pokémon. All three figured it was safer for the Pokémon to ride in his backpack instead.

When the raven-haired trainer got to the top of the hill, he stopped to catch his breath. Taking off his official Pokémon League hat, he swiped a hand across his forehead to get rid of the sweat trickling down it. _Jeez, it sure is hot for a spring day! Trapinch sure is lucky to be able to stand such hot weather_.

Walking over to a nearby tree, he gently took off his backpack and set it down on the ground next to him before sitting down under the shade. Ash slowly and tenderly removed Trapinch and Bagon from his backpack and relocated them to his lap instead. Reaching back inside his backpack, he removed a water bottle. _Eww, it's already getting warm_. Deciding that water was water, he took a few drinks of it before shaking the Pokémon awake.

Blinking their small eyes blearily, Trapinch and Bagon yawned and looked up at Ash, wondering why they were woken up from their blissful sleep. "Sorry you two, but I though you might want a drink of water since it's so hot out today," Ash explained.

The pair looked at the water bottle in their trainer's hand and nodded, before opening their large jaws. It took a minute to realize what they were doing, but Ash finally realized they wanted the water poured into their jaws. Unscrewing the lid of the bottle, he did just that.

After the water bottle was empty, Ash leaned back against the tree and stared out into the field of grass where several Pidgey were hopping around, pecking the ground looking for food. Trapinch and Bagon turned around in their trainer's lap and looked out at the Pidgey. Pokémon in Kanto always fascinated the little Pokémon. To them, they were so strange and exotic compared to the Pokémon back in Hoenn even though they had seen them several times these past few months. Of course there were a few Kanto Pokémon that lived throughout their home region, but they always thought they lived exclusively in Hoenn.

Their little, sheltered life has been changed so drastically since they were captured.

For as long as they could remember, all they ever wanted was a trainer to train and love them so that they could fully evolve into their final forms. Every week, a trainer or two would come past to either look for their evolved forms or just get into the next town. No trainer ever gave them the time of day when he made an appearance in front of them, until one day... he came. Just when they thought that their dream had come true, it shattered into a million pieces many months later.

The two Pokémon thought that he was the trainer for them. That he would help them reach their full potential. It all came crashing down on them, like a bucket of ice, cold water. Their little beating hearts felt like they had been squished between two rocks when he threw them away like yesterday's trash, left to fend for themselves in a strange, unfamiliar environment.

Months of not fending for themselves left their wild instincts dried up and as wrinkly as a raisin. The Pokémon were forced to steal from humans and Pokémon alike just to survive. It was something they hated themselves for, even to this day.

When the good professor took them in, they were relieved to be with a human again and taken care of, though they had still longed to be out on the battlefield. They held onto their hope of getting a new trainer one day and that hope never waned. However, they never forgot their first trainer. They were in a depressed state for those few months after they were left to fend for themselves, even after they were taken in. They hid it well, though. They wanted to be strong for their new trainer, whoever that would be.

Then Ash came along and their spark for life and battle returned. They knew, _they knew_ this young man was the perfect trainer for them. Trapinch and Bagon could feel it deep within their hearts; the connection that instantly formed when the young trainer picked them up for the first time. They had never felt that with their first trainer and now they knew why. That jerk never cared about them at all. To him, they were just tools and a means to an end. When they wouldn't, no... _couldn't_ evolve, they were tossed aside. It was that trainer's fault they couldn't evolve, not theirs.

Just thinking about the little brat that abandoned them made their innards boil now. When the day came for them to confront their old trainer, they'd be ready. Oh would they be ready and, hopefully, fully evolved.

"You know you two," Ash started, and the Pokémon duo quickly turned their attention towards their new trainer and away from their thoughts, "ever since I learned about Pokémon and the different kinds out there, I've wanted to become a Dragon type trainer. Their beauty, grace, intellect, and power is something to behold. I've idolized Lance for years now and he will always be my role model. I do plan on capturing a few other types of non-Dragon or Dragonesque types to help keep my team balanced, of course, but Dragons will always be my passion."

They smiled and got off of Ash's lap before Trapinch slowly made his way over to his trainer's backpack. He stuck his head into it and felt around for the item he was looking for. Finding it, he lightly closed his jaws around it and pulled it out and returned to Ash's side, laying it on his lap.

Ash blinked in confusion when he saw his Pokédex lying in his lap. "My Pokédex?" he asked the small Pokémon.

"Trap, Trap," Trapinch replied, poking the electronic device with his jaws.

"Gon, Bagon," Bagon added.

"You want me to open it?"

They nodded and Ash opened up the device and turned it on. Before he could do much more, Trapinch snatched it back and laid it down on the ground in front of him, ignoring the shocked and bewildered look on Ash's face. Reaching a foot forward, Trapinch pressed a few buttons before being satisfied with what he found and handed it back to Ash.

The young trainer took the Pokédex and saw a picture of Trapinch on the screen. Glancing at his own Trapinch, he shrugged and pressed the button to activate the entry. With a ding, an electronic male's voice greeted his ears.

**Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pokémon. It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down**.

"Oh wow, that's amazing!" Ash exclaimed. Trapinch simply raised his head in a show of pride at this remark. The trainer turned his attention back to the Pokédex when it made another ding and a totally different Pokémon appeared on the screen.

**Vibrava, the Vibration Pokémon. Vibrava is the evolved form of Trapinch. It generates ultrasonic waves by violently flapping its wings. After making its prey faint, Vibrava melts the prey with acid**.

Before Ash could fully comprehend the information, the Pokédex let off another ding and this time another Pokémon that looked like a larger version of Vibrava with several differences popped up on the screen.

**Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon. Flygon is the evolved form of Vibrava. Known as "The Desert Spirit," this Pokémon hides in the sandstorms it causes by beating its wings**.

Another ding and a picture of Bagon appeared on the screen.

**Bagon, the Rock Head Pokémon. Dreaming of one day flying, Bagon practices by leaping off cliffs every day**.

A fifth ding and a Pokémon that looked like a bigger version of Bagon presented itself on the device.

**Shelgon, the Endurance ****Pokémon. Shelgon is the evolved form of Bagon. Shelgon's armoured body makes all attacks bounce off. The armour is too tough, however, making it heavy and somewhat sluggish**.

Dinging for the final time, a completely different creature appeared.

**Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon. Salamence is the evolved form of Shelgon. It's uncontrollable if enraged. Salamence flies around spouting flames and scorching fields and mountains**.

Ash stared at the screen for a few seconds before snapping the Pokédex shut and sticking it in his jacket pocket. He reached over, picked the pair up and held them in front of his face.

"Trapinch... Your evolutions are Dragon types?" Ash asked the Ant Pit Pokémon, with hope in his voice. Trapinch nodded and Ash crushed the Pokémon against his chest in a hug. "Oh Trapinch, this is awesome!" Trapinch would have agreed if he could breathe at the moment. "Thanks for showing me this information, you two!" Standing abruptly, Ash let Trapinch and Bagon follow him as he gathered up his belongings.

"Come on, let's go train a bit so we can get you both good and strong," Ash proclaimed and stepped out on to the path that lead to Viridian City. _I wonder... Was this fate?_


End file.
